For first time, White House may miss VFW event

By ABE LEVY, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Updated 10:21 pm, Sunday, August 28, 2011

Republican presidential hopefuls Gov. Rick Perry and Mitt Romney will be in San Antonio this week for the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention, but for the first time in its 112-year history, no one from the White House has committed to making an appearance.

Officials with the nation's largest combat veterans association said they have about 8,000 registrants, many of whom are battling airport cancellations from Hurricane Irene to make it to the downtown Convention Center for today's kickoff.

That's when Perry is scheduled to take the stage. By custom, he was invited as governor of the host state. Conference leaders said they have asked him to appear as state governor - not as a presidential candidate - because his invitation went out before he announced he was seeking the GOP nomination.

On Tuesday, Romney is set to speak. Several months ago, when invitations went out for speakers, the former governor of Massachusetts was at the time the lone presidential candidate to have announced, VFW officials said. The group's policy is to invite only announced presidential candidates.

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"No matter what, we take heat for it," said VFW spokesman Jerry Newberry. "When President Clinton spoke one year, we caught heat from members. When President Bush did, we took heat. Same with President Obama. But we're a diverse organization, and we don't care what party (speakers) come from."

Advocate for veterans

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Adding to the frustration is not having Obama or any of his representatives accept the group's invitation. The organization is noted for its advocacy of veterans' rights, especially health care and military benefits, both of which are on the chopping block in talks about reducing the federal budget.

"When the president is unable to attend, it has always been customary for the White House to choose a high-level administration official as an alternative speaker," wrote Richard Eubank, the group's national commander, in a statement.

"It is an insult of the highest magnitude that for the first time in the history of the VFW, the White House has apparently decided that this great and iconic organization of combat veterans and all of its members are not worthy of its notice by not at least offering a first-tier speaker from the administration."

Obama is scheduled to speak to the American Legion, on Tuesday in Minneapolis for its annual national convention. It has an estimated 2.4 million members and is made up of both combat and noncombat veterans.

4-day gathering

The VFW's national gathering will last four days, concluding Thursday after a series of seminars and business meetings designed to prioritize issues for its estimated 2 million members.

Still, their chief concern is that the federal budget will cut benefits that veterans have relied on. And they're leery about reports that the military retirement program is under review for an overhaul, including the idea of offering a 401(k) plan instead of the well-established guarantee of a salary after 20 years of service.

"Those discussions could very well impact the health and welfare of our veterans and military families and their future," Newberry said. "Can veterans be assured their entitlements are going to be there for them? Can our military members at war for such a long time be reassured that they're going to be taken care of?"